Eskymos not hindered by weather... spoil Lady Emeralds home opener

Above: With blizzard like conditions, the Emeralds try and warm up before the first inning . Below: Cayla Strasser takes a little sand in the face as Kayla Bosen looks on for the call at second base. Trailing 8-0 the Lady Emerald fast pitch softball team rallied for four runs in the bottom half of the fifth inning, added two more in the sixth but came up short dropping their home opener 13-7 to the Escanaba Junior High Monday night. Battling high winds, rain and snow, Escanaba put eight runs on the board in their first at bats, and added one more in the top of he fourth before the Emeralds crossed the plate.

“We have injuries and we are trying to work through them,” Coach Dave McNeil said. “Playing in weather like we had there is defi nitely an advantage to hitting first. After that we allowed just five runs in six innings.”

McNeil said they have three players who are working through injuries, including Vanessa McNamara who broke her arm in the season opener in Marquette.

Eskymos 13, Lady Emeralds 7 ABRHRBIBBSO Bosen2b 311010 Gonyea1b 421002 Williamsc 421000 Bontekoe3b414 400 Ziminskicr 010000 Jeneroucf 200110 Strasserss 400004 MacGregorp401 001 Zellnerlf 201000 Walterslf 200000 Morganrf 200001 Safferrf 200001 TOTALS 3379529 IPHRERBBSOPIT MacGregor77136570 TOTALS 7136570 “We are trying to find answers to the position changes that go along with injuries. It’s early in the season and we need to figure out where we are at and will keep plugging away until they get better.”

The Emeralds opened he regular season on the road dropping a pair to the Norway Knights by the score of 10-5, 13-8 and one to the Rapid River Rockets 11-0.

Manistique will host Negaunee tonight (Wednesday) after press time and Newberry Thursday. Both games are double headers starting at 4p.m.